Cincinnati is the only team among the six high-major conferences to improve its victory total in each of the past five seasons. The Bearcats won 11 games in Mick Cronin’s rookie season as coach and followed it up with 13, 18 and 19 wins the next three campaigns.

It’s an impressive run, but more important to the Bearcats' faithful was the team’s first NCAA Tournament appearance as a member of the Big East still proved elusive.

Last season, Cronin’s steady approach to rebuilding the program finally paid off.

Cincinnati won 26 games and advanced to the NCAA Tournament as an at-large team. It was the Bearcats’ first NCAA appearance since 2005, the final year of a school-record 14 consecutive appearances.

For his efforts, the university rewarded Cronin with a contract extension through 2016-17. As for 2011-12, Cronin and the Bearcats are a good bet to run that new streak to two years in a row.

Cincinnati returns its top four scorers and, for the first time since moving from Conference USA to the Big East, is a contender for the league title. The Big East coaches picked Cincinnati to finish fifth in the 16-team league this year.

"We're going to work hard and practice every day like we're going to win the league," senior guard Dion Dixon said. "We're not going to worry about preseason rankings."

Senior forward Yancy Gates (11.9 points, 6.9 rebounds) played his best in February and March, scoring in double figures the final nine games. He averaged almost 16 points per game during that span, when the Bearcats solidified their place in the NCAA Tournament by winning six of those nine contests.

"If (Gates) can develop into a guy that is highly productive night in and night out, the kind of guy that on some nights you're going to win because he makes you win, that would be nice," Cronin told The Cincinnati Enquirer.

Dixon (11.6 points) was right behind Gates in the scoring column. Dixon became a much-improved shooter last season, boosting his 3-point percentage 35.6 percent. Dixon is one-third of a talented trio of guards that also features Sean Kilpatrick (9.7 points) and Cashmere Wright (8.9 points).

Kilpatrick was the team’s third-leading scorer last year despite playing just 20.6 minutes per game. As a redshirt freshman, he was the top 3-point shooting threat with a 37.7-percent clip and should take on a bigger role this season.

Wright led the Bearcats with 3.9 assists per game last year and also proved capable of carrying the scoring load at various times. But for the most part, Wright’s role will be setting up teammates, something he has done well during his first two seasons.

Cronin lost six seniors—most notably starters Rashad Bishop and Ibrahima Thomas—and is looking for young players to contribute immediately in the frontcourt.

Justin Jackson (2.5 points) is the only forward on the roster with experience other than Gates, and he’s known more as a defensive stopper and rebounder than a potential scorer. Cronin welcomes back 6-10 redshirt freshman center Kelvin Gaines, and he also signed 6-9 junior college transfer Cheikh Mbodj to boost the depth.

" Mbodj is going to have to give us immediate punch," Cronin told The Cincinnati Enquirer, "but he's older. That's why he was recruited. ... Jermaine is going to be extremely important as far as a big wing."

Among the five freshmen Cronin signed, three are forwards: Shaquille Thomas, Jermaine Sanders and Octavius Ellis. If they impress during the preseason, early playing time will follow once the season starts.

Cronin’s biggest job will be getting the newcomers up to speed on how to play his defensive style. The Bearcats have made their steady climb upward in the Big East because Cronin emphasizes defense and rebounding above all else. Cincinnati led the Big East in scoring defense (59.6 points) last season and also ranked fifth in rebounding margin.

Despite the youth and issues in the frontcourt, the Bearcats should be among the best defensive teams in the conference once again. Cronin’s past four squads have ranked among the league leaders in scoring defense and rebounding.

What has kept Cincinnati from making a major move in the conference is a lack of scoring punch. The Bearcats ranked 12th in the conference in scoring (68.9 points) and 10th in field-goal percentage (.437) last season.

If Cronin can get better offensive production, the Bearcats could challenge the top teams in the conference. If not, they likely will be in the same position as last year—in the league’s second tier, fighting for an NCAA Tournament spot.